Nine jailed for 'female genital mutilation'

Nine women have been sentenced to jail terms for the female circumcision of around 30 young girls, in what the UN said was the first criminal prosecution of its kind in Ivory Coast.

The women, aged between 46 and 91, were found guilty of "female genital mutilation" or complicity on Wednesday and each sentenced to a year in jail and a 75- euro ($90-dollar) fine.

Although UN officials said they did not expect them to serve their sentences due to their age, they welcomed the convictions as an important first step.

"This sentence is the first of its kind in Ivory Coast" and would help to prevent future cases of female circumcision, Patrick Yedress of the United Nations Operation in Ivory Coast (UNOCI), told AFP at court.

The circumcisions were carried out during a ritual ceremony in the northern town of Katiola in February. (...)